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It’s cold outside. It’s cold and for Colorado fans, sports might seem even colder. Colorado and Denver specifically, is a great sports area. Fans are incredibly loyal, and 2010 wasn’t exactly a year to crow about for the Front Range.

The Rockies had a nice season, nice, but streakier than one would like. While they were within a couple of games of first at the All Star break they fell to a double digit deficit before making one of their now familiar late season runs. They wound up falling short after tanking the last two weeks of the season. They had remarkable seasons by Ubaldo Jimenez, Tulo and Cargo, but in the end a lack of consistency and depth did the team in.

The Avalanche are young and going the right direction, but 2010 saw a team that lost ten out of thirteen to finish their surprising campaign. While they are playing well right now, there is a feeling of trepidation when considering their 2011 fate.

The Nuggets, well they are doing okay. The elephant in the room is Carmelo Anthony. He wants out desperately. Apparently Melo’s wife has a gig with Carson Daley that simply can’t be ignored and now Anthony wants to take his talents to Rockaway Beach. In the end, the Nuggets are a tough sell to fans despite having a decent season, the contributions of local favorites such as Chauncey and Birdman, and the emergence of future star Ty Lawson. Fans are simply waiting for the eventual trade of Carmelo and will pass judgment after the deal is over.

And then there are the Broncos. The Band-Aid has been ripped off and Coach McDaniels has been relieved of his overwhelming duties. The damage he has done to his team will most likely resonate for the next few years, and the 2010 campaign was like watching a car wreck week after week. There were some bright spots, the emergence of Brandon Lloyd and the beginning of the Tim Tebow era, but all in all, 2010 was a season Bronco fans would like to forget.

The sports horizon in Denver looked like a wasteland, nothing to get too high about, a lot of questions and not a lot of answers. And then enter the Monforts. Yes those Monforts. As 2010 was winding to a close the Monforts resigned Jorge De La Rosa, which surprised some fans. They inked Troy Tulowitski to a long term contract, insuring that the All Star infielder will be with the team for the next decade. Fans cheered but silently wondered what it meant about the likelihood of keeping Ubaldo and Cargo. The Rockies then acquired Orioles infielder Ty Wigginton. To fans who haven’t heard of him, the response was “ho-hum”. Incidentally, Wigginton will fast become a fan favorite as he is well underrated and he is a gritty guy who plays hard. He has dealt with a lack of protection throughout his career but will find that batting around guys like Cargo and Tulo will take his game to places it hasn’t been before. The Rocks purged themselves of Manny Delcarmen and Manny Corpas and added late inning reliever Matt Lindstrom. Just losing the Mannys gives the Rockies five more wins next season but 31 year old Lindstrom could wind up being a great signing. Fans in the know must have been wondering what happened to the traditional Montforts who let talent go in hopes of replacing it with cheaper less adequate journeymen. But just when Rockies fans were sitting back in their post Christmas bliss of a fairly successful off season, the next bomb dropped. The Rock’s traditionally penny pinching owners had inked Carlos Gonzales to a seven year, 80 million dollar contract. Cargo is one of the best young talents in the game, and instead of being dealt to the Evil Empire in New York or their big spending rivals in Boston, he appears to be staying put in the Rocky Mountains. Has Scott Boras gone soft?

In the end, Colorado fans have an up and coming Avalanche team, one of the greatest college quarterbacks of all time, a sure influx of first round picks for the Nuggets and a Rockies ownership group that seems to have winning a World Series on their bucket list. 2010 wasn’t the best year to be a fan of Colorado professional sports, but maybe, just maybe, 2011 is headed in the right direction.

1 comment:

I like the overall overview if you will. Sports success is a rollercoaster; it's nice to get to the top once in awhile. I love the commitment to Tulo and Cargo. I do worry about the potential long term effect it may have on the Rocks, but if you are going all in, you should bet on your best cards.